Lyons train station finally on track?

Thursday

Feb 28, 2008 at 12:01 AMFeb 28, 2008 at 5:27 AM

Plans for the station have been stalled for some two decades.

Julie Sherwood

Long-delayed plans to build a train stop in the Wayne County seat may get a jump-start at an upcoming meeting involving U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and top officials with Amtrak and CSX, the senator says.

Lyons is about midway along the 85-mile stretch between Rochester and Syracuse, the longest section of tracks in the state Amtrak uses without a train stop, according to Schumer’s office. There has been talk of building a station, on and off, for two decades but plans have remained stalled — most recently after CSX cited safety and liability concerns, said Schumer.

CSX owns the property and set of tracks passengers would have to cross to get to the Amtrak train. County officials have presented design plans to address the concerns, but CSX has not yet signed off, said Schumer.

“The best way to jump-start long-delayed plans to construct a new station in the town of Lyons is to bring CSX, Amtrak and local leaders to the table and hammer out a pragmatic and safe plan for moving forward on this vital project,” Schumer stated Tuesday.

Schumer said he is setting a date “in the near future” to sit down with Amtrak, CSX and local officials to discuss constructing the station. Former Amtrak Chief Executive Officer George Warrington committed to creating the Amtrak stop in Lyons at a meeting with Schumer in 2001, according to Schumer.

“The town of Lyons should have its own Amtrak stop, a catalyst for driving local tourism and offering residents a terrific option for traveling to all corners of the Empire State,” stated Schumer.